Q and A with Aurora motel owner Dean Inman

Police arrest a man early Tuesday evening outside the Fremont Inn, formerly the Thunderbird Motel. A neighbor told police he had stolen property and previously been trespassed from the motel property. (Casey McNerthney/seattlepi.com)

On Wednesday, Aurora Avenue North motel owner Dean Inman responded to questions from seattlepi.com about issues regarding his properties.

Inman, his wife Jill and their motels, were hit with 152 criminal charges for various tax violations.

Police and prosecutors have said their motels – the Wallingford Inn, Fremont Inn, Seattle Motor Inn and Italia and Isabella motels – are centers for criminals engaging in illegal activity.

Some of the incidents are detailed here. Follow this link for an article with more recent cases.

Dean Inman asked that points be e-mailed for his comment. Here are the questions and his full answers:

Police have said some of your staff members have long criminal records and contribute to the problem of criminals continuing to frequent your motels. What is your take on that? You mentioned to the Seattle Weekly that you work with people that have potential and offer respect and dignity.

I think most people reading this probably have had a friend or family member convicted of a crime at some point in their lives and wouldn’t want to see them permanently denied employment. The motels are a unique setting and because of this, I am willing to agree to a certain amount of time without a conviction before I employ someone. Having said that, I simply cannot agree to deny employment to a qualified applicant because of their past. Many of my employees have been hired after coming to the motel homeless. Hiring people without much chance of getting a job elsewhere is something that I feel is of service to our homeless community. Some may have criminal records, some may have none, but I don’t believe any of my employees have been arrested for criminal activity on my properties or while at work. Some have been arrested for outstanding warrants, but unfortunately warrant information is not something I have access to, just as no other employer does. I have some great success stories of people that have come off the street and now have a job history to speak of. As any employer knows, sometimes employees work out and sometimes they don’t.

Police and prosecutors say the number of crimes at your motels hasn’t decreased in September or October. Some say the number of crimes has gotten worse. What is your take on that?

I haven’t heard that but I can tell you that my motels have been operating at a higher vacancy rate, given that winter months are always slower in this industry, so I find that a little difficult to believe. I think certain people up the chain will continue to inflate and/or distort numbers right now, along with continuing to publicize each one, in order to garner public support for the Chronic Nuisance Property Ordinance vote scheduled for next month. I would suspect that might be the reason they are coming to you, the media, as opposed to me, the motel owner, with the crime reports.

What is your take on the tax charges brought by the city? You mentioned in your Seattle Weekly piece that the tax charges were a politically motivated and an organized “assault” on your tenants, staff, and yourself. How do you feel now?

The City of Seattle taxes in question have been filed and paid in full. The amounts due were small, some even “zero due”, averaging somewhere around $600 per building.

The charges were obviously political, and specifically for votes and shock value. I’m not going to speculate on where they originated from, but it’s clear to me (and to anyone knowing any detail) that it was anything but a typical use of government power. I will also say that I am entitled to my day in court. Each motel, my wife and I were all charged separately for the same thing. Three separate prosecutors have already been assigned to these cases. If we choose to fight these charges, there will be the three different prosecutors, 152 separate “crimes” disputed, six different defendants, six different trials, on separate dates, in front of separate judges, over what amounted to an outstanding $600.00 (six HUNDRED dollar) tax bill per building? Since I obviously can’t afford to pay my attorney for that many weeks in court, I assume I’ll have to have at least one, if not several, public defenders. A simple telephone call on August 25th, asking me where my city tax return from July 31st was, would have been free for all tax payers.

Like I said, I don’t know what politician orchestrated this, but they should immediately identify themselves and take credit for it before this coming election. I think instead of asking me how I feel about these charges, you may want to ask all the taxpayers in Seattle how they feel about them?

Do you think you’ve been unfairly targeted by police, prosecutors or the news media?

I think when the communication stopped, things escalated, and it’s unfortunate that it has come to this. This is a crime issue. The neighbors are fed up and angry with the crime. The police, the prosecutor’s office and the mayor’s office are fed up and angry with the crime. I am fed up and angry with the crime. Criminals do not just bother the neighbors, destroy their property and cause problems for all of them, but for me and my businesses, also. All parties involved just want the crime to stop. I believe we all have the same ultimate goal. I am not interested in taking shots or blaming any party involved except for the people responsible for the crime: the criminals.

You said to the Seattle Weekly that criminal activity at the motels is simply not tolerated. How do staff members handle suspected criminal activity?

The properties are zoned specifically for motel use only. The City sets the rules by ordinance as to who can rent a room and who cannot rent a room. I use every tool offered by the City and SPD to assist them in their police work. Staff members are instructed to evict guests who cause disturbances and to call the police when suspecting illegal activities, and they do.

Some police and prosecutors allege your motels do not meet health codes. Are your facilities up to state health code standards?

The police and prosecutors office are not the governing agency overseeing health code standards. I immediately correct any deficiencies that are cited by the agency overseeing this area.

My motels are not the Hilton, but at full capacity, I am providing low cost, safe shelter for 200 people in the city who do not have homes of their own. I take pride in that, and in offering clean, safe, affordable, rooms to my guests.

What are your long-term and short-term goals for your motels?

I intend to redevelop all properties when it is economically feasible. Until then, I will continue to operate them.

Basically, police have said there are many problems at your motels and the incident reports show that there have been criminal issues. I’ve heard that from police and prosecutors, but want to get your take. What do you think of the incident reports I received from police? Are they (an indication) of what goes on at your motels? Do you think it’s unfair that police incidents there keep making the news?

I cannot comment on behaviors and choices that complete strangers make for themselves. Again, the properties are zoned for motel use only, and the City sets the rules as to who can rent the rooms by ordinance. I am not a crime fighter by trade but can and will do whatever the police ask to help with an investigation and/or controlling crime. More is always accomplished when people work together.

If there is something I didn’t ask here that you’d like to bring up, please do.

Just yesterday I met with a very vocal leader of a neighborhood crime prevention organization to restart our dialog and develop a system that works for everyone affected by crime on Aurora. I think we both heard each other and I’m confident we will all be able to work together in the future now that the door has been re-opened.

The fact of the matter is that these building have been sold (usually out of desperation and/or under intense public pressure) for decades on a stretch of road that is virtually synonymous with crime. Without exception over time, the problems always return. I’m doing my best to stop this cycle permanently. I have been negotiating in good faith with the Prosecutors office and as always, will continue my cooperation with SPD. I believe we are very close to a deal that will not only immediately have a positive impact on the community, but also in the long term will have a dramatic and positive effect on Aurora and its surrounding communities. Unfortunately, if our negotiations fail, this cycle will continue on.